1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for making a camera module, more particularly to a method for making a camera module in which a barrel is molded over a sensing element and a lens by insert molding. The invention also relates to a lens camera module made thereby.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional camera module 1 includes: a first barrel portion 11 having an outer threaded surface 111, a central hole 112, and a receiving space 113; a second barrel portion 12 having an inner threaded surface 121 and threadedly engaged to the first barrel portion 11; and a first lens 13, a first spacer 14, a second lens 15, and a second spacer 16 received in the receiving space 113. The second barrel portion 12 is mounted on a circuit board 2. The camera module 1 further includes a filter 17 received within the second barrel portion 12, and a sensing element 18 received with the second barrel portion 12 and mounted on the circuit board 2. Light enters into the first barrel portion 11 through the central hole 112, and is transmitted to the sensing element 18 through the first lens 13, the second lens 15, and the filter 17.
Since the first lens 13, the first spacer 14, the second lens 15, the second spacer 16, and the filter 17 are respectively assembled to the first and second barrel portions 11, 12, they can not be assembled precisely and an assembly tolerance may occur. After assembly, the first barrel portion 11 and the second barrel portion 12 should be rotated relatively to adjust a focal distance between the first lens 13 and the second lens 15. However, grains may be produced due to the friction between the outer threaded surface 111 of the first barrel portion 11 and the inner threaded surface 121 of the second barrel portion 12 during the rotation of the first barrel portion 11 relative to the second barrel portion 12. The grains fall onto the filter 17, which in turn reduces the quantity of the light reaching the sensing element 18 and reduces the imaging quality of the camera module 1.